Does Another Week Make the Difference for Jordan Addison?
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings started off life without Justin Jefferson. Losing the best wide receiver in the NFL is not an enviable position by any means, but having a first-round rookie ready to step up is a solid fallback. Unfortunately, the step-up part didn’t happen for Jordan Addison.
Does Another Week Make the Difference for Jordan Addison?
Playing against a bad Chicago Bears team, the Minnesota Vikings emerged with an ugly victory. Yes, they won by six points, and yes, a divisional win is certainly a positive, but there was no way to sugarcoat the performance as ugly. Despite the victory, Kirk Cousins and the offense looked lackluster, and Jordan Addison was among the issues.
Needing to step up with the absence created by Jefferson, Addison got the start and worked as the Vikings lead wide receiver. He was targeted just one time in the first half, on the first pass of the game for Minnesota. He drew just five targets during the contest and hauled in three of them. Addison posted just 28 yards and saved his day while hauling in a touchdown.
For his third start on the season, that was a less-than-ideal performance. Minnesota should have been looking to exploit a bad Chicago defense, and even with Addison getting extra attention, finding a way to give Cousins a consistent option needed to happen on a much grander scale than it actually did.
Now, through six games in his professional career, Addison has drawn starts in three contests. Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers will be the first time he starts back-to-back outings, and the preparation may be slightly different. Knowing he is again in line for a bigger role, Addison may be able to settle in with better mental preparation.
To this point, Addison has yet to reach the century mark in yardage during a game. His career high has been 72 yards, which came on three catches back in Week 2. He has hauled in six passes on two separate occasions but should have the opportunity to produce substantially more volume than that with Jefferson out.
Kevin O’Connell’s offense could be working from behind early and often on Monday night. Even if San Francisco comes in a bit banged up, Brock Purdy has Kyle Shanahan’s squad looking like one of the best teams across the league. The defense is a formidable unit in its own right, and with T.J. Hockenson as the only other real receiving threat, plenty of focus will again be put on the rookie wideout.
Coming into the league, Addison knew he had plenty of ability to succeed at this level. He has shown that in short bursts to this point, and maybe the Vikings were spoiled by the immediate results from Jefferson. Still, if Minnesota is going to keep developing on the field regardless of results this season, seeing growth from a player like Addison while thrust into a heightened role is a must.
At some point, it would be great to see Addison make his mark on the league, and doing it without the presence of Jefferson on the opposite side could speak volumes. His rookie season has gone smoothly thus far, but finding a way to take it to the next level is a must.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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